AROUND 30,000 revellers descended on Lulworth Castle yesterday as Camp Bestival got underway.

The multi-award winning festival was due to start last night with headline sets from former Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley and festival favourites The Proclaimers. Rob da Bank’s warped but wonderful brainchild offers an eclectic mix of live music, comedy, literary talks, theatre and children’s entertainment. The psychedelic festival extravaganza saw Northern Irish rock group, Ash, and cult band, I Am Kloot take to the main stage in the afternoon.

Protest music legend and proud resident of Dorset, Billy Bragg returned to Camp Bestival to bring a little bit of social conscience to the stage.

Richard Hawley turned down all offers to play at Glastonbury, so his acceptance of a headline slot in Dorset is a definite stamp of approval.

London based hip-hop and electro swing duo, The Correspondents, burst onto Castle Stage to whip the crowd into a frenzy with an electrifying set full of endorphins. Intriguing art rock trio London Grammar effortlessly won over the crowds in the Big Top with moments of romantic melodrama combined with the xx’s minimalism.

Festival-goer Sam Steed, 22, from Poole said: “The festival has been absolutely incredible so far. The Correspondents were definitely my highlight.

“This is my second year and it just gets better and better.”

Anna Campbell, five, said: “This is my very first festival and I hope we come back again next year.”

Camp Bestival is the offshoot to the Isle of Wight’s 24-hour monster, Bestival, and caters primarily for families with activities including a dinosaur petting zoo, Brit School and circus workshops.

Organiser and DJ Rob da Bank said: “We need to please babies, toddlers, teens, thirtysomethings, mums, dads, grannies, grandpas, aunts, uncles and pretty much everyone in-between. It’s not as simple as booking three headliners and being done with it.”

The festival was due to attempt a Guinness World Record for the most paper aeroplanes launched simultaneously at 10.30am today.

Soulful songstress Gabrielle Aplin, Mark Owen, pre-Brit pop student favourites The Levellers and Grandmaster Flash are among highlights planned for tonight.

  •  Two people suffered serious burns in an explosion at the festival campsite on Thursady because of leaked gas from a camping stove being ignited.

A woman was airlifted to a specialist burns unit in Bristol with injuries described by the ambulance service as “life-changing”.